Penelo and Vaan: roomates
by cuzimcrazylikethat
Summary: Penelo and Vaan's lovey sort of roommate life has gone through a change.. what happens when two new people intrude? mainly PeneloXVaan, OCxOC, CHAPTER 8 IS UP! FLUFFY!
1. Pervy

**Author's note: Yeah, so I got Final Fantasy 12 the day it came out, so I'm not done with it yet. So if I happen to get details wrong, (I'm only about 17 hours into the game) PLEASE DO NOT FLAME/REVIEW/SEND PM TELLING ME HOW IT REALLY IS BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO KNOW!!! Thanks for clicking on the link to my story, hope you enjoy it.

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"_Vaan… Vaan… Vaan…"_

"Vaan!!!"

"OW!" Vaan yelled out in pain. He could feel pain in his shoulder. He quickly opened his eyes and rolled over. He let out a startled noise as he focused and saw Penelo standing over him. He let out a sigh and eased back down onto his bed. He groaned.

"What now, Penelo!?" He asked, frustrated. His dream was just getting good! He rolled over and pulled his blanket over his head. Penelo, being the morning person she was, giggled and grabbed his blanket, pulling it off of him.

"Get up Vaan! You gotta get up!" She said, pulling his blanket completely off his bed and putting it in a handmade laundry basket, made of wood and twine. Vaan just rolled into a tight ball and shivered.

"But I'm tired!!!" He groaned loudly. Penelo picked up the basket and put it on Vaan's bed.

"Well, that's too bad Vaan. I told you to go to bed early last night!" She said, collecting various clothes around the room and putting them into the basket. "Today's cleaning day remember? Or did you just _happen _to forget?" Vaan let out another groan. "Ok, _Mom."_ He muttered.

Penelo smirked. _Ohh, that was a pretty good one Vaan. But Penelo's got jokes of her own! _She picked up the basket and set it on the floor. She sat on the side of his bed. "So what can I do to make you get up?" She said. She edged closer to Vaan, close enough for him to feel her body lightly pressing up to his. She smirked wider as she felt him try to move away, shivering slightly. _Scared?_

Vaan groaned and came out of his tight, little ball. "You know what, Penelo?" He said as he sat up, "Sometimes you're _way_ perverted." She laughed, and stood up, picking the basket up from ground and putting it on her hip. _Ha, I had a feeling that would work. _

Vaan stayed, sitting on the bed, watching Penelo as she walked out of the room. As she reached the doorway of his room, he called after her, "But really, are you sure you haven't been hanging out too much with me!?" He heard a small laugh come from the dark hall outside his room. "I mean maybe I've been rubbing off on you!" He smiled, hearing a small giggle come from the hall, as Penelo collected towels to wash.

"Whatever Vaan!" She said, giggling once more. Vaan stood up from his bed and grabbed his clothes from the chair where he hung them. _Her giggle is so cute. _His face twisted up in a mix of surprise and bewilderment. _Did I just think that!? Maybe I really should start going to bed early… Lack of sleep is making me think crazy things!_ He moved to the corner of his room where he couldn't be seen and quickly undressed and dressed. He moved out into the main room, where Penelo was getting ready to leave to do laundry. As she went out the door, she called back to Vaan.

"I'm out! I'll be back in about an hour! Oh and by the way, Migelo said that he's gonna give us the day off, so we can go to train at Giza Plains today." The door slammed shut behind her.

"If I have no work today, then why did she just _have _to wake me up?" He groaned. _If I have to wait an hour for her to come back, I should just go back to sleep! _Vaan stumbled down the dark hall and into his room. It had a soft glow that came from the weak light on his nightstand. He hopped onto his bed, lying on his back with his hands behind his head. He used times like this to think. _I wonder why Penelo woke me up even though I had nothing to do… maybe it's 'cause she likes my company! Hahaha, yeah right. It was probably just because she likes to annoy me. But seriously… why was she kind of perverted this morning? She's usually not like that… Maybe she really wanted to do something! Penelo? Psshhh! She was probably just teasing me… or maybe she really was horny! Hahaha! She's probably just spent too much time with me…or maybe… Ugh, I wish I had never thought of that, now I'm gonna be thinking about it all friggin' day! And while I'm bringing up weird things, why did I call her laugh cute? I mean, do I like her? No, no, no! I'm sure I don't… she's like a sister to me! Maybe less than that, maybe just a cousin! Sheesh… I feel like I'm going crazy, almost arguing with my self like this… maybe I should just stop thinking. _And with that, Vaan rolled over onto his side and quickly fell asleep.

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Meanwhile

Penelo made her way to the Lowtown courtyard, in the north sprawl to wash her and Vaan's clothes. _Sigh; maybe it wasn't a good idea to tease Vaan this morning. I don't want him to think… Well, maybe… NO! He's like a brother to me, I think… I'm not really sure how I feel about him. _Penelo let out a little grunt as she scrubbed the clothes. _I mean, after my family died, he was the only person I had, and I feel really attached to him. I mean, if he disappeared from my life I don't know what I'd do. Maybe I should let him know that. No, I don't think so. Then he'll think I'm like, in love with him or something. Or maybe I am… All I do know is that maybe I shouldn't have been a little perv this morning. _Penelo smiled to herself. _Hah, Maybe I creeped him out a little. Hmm well, it's almost been an hour, and these clothes are washed, so I'll go buy supplies for today's training. _Penelo collected the wet clothes and hung them on a stiff vine that had grown up out of the water. _I'll be back for those later._ Knowing no one would take them, she made her way to the merchant.

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Back to Vaan

_Click… Click… Slam!_

"Wha!" Vaan jerked awake, to find Penelo standing over him. The laundry basket was in the corner of his room, full of dry, clean clothes. She was giving him a weird look, tilting her head at him.

Penelo raised an eyebrow, "Uhh, sorry for scaring you. I didn't realize how loud the door is when it closes." She said. She smiled. "But anyway, are you ready to go to Giza Plains?"

This made Vaan sit up quickly. "Of course!" He said eagerly. The two of them quickly left their small house in Lowtown, Rabanastre. They eagerly walked through south plaza, to the gate that would provide the entrance to the plains.

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_Well, I hope you enjoyed this. There's more chapters to come! Do you guys think Penelo and Vaan make a good pairing? And also, do you think that I captured personailities right, or did they seem ooc... Honestly, this is my first video game fanfic. It feels weird to write it hahah. But it's fun, so I'll keep writing. Please send reviews! They keep me motivated! Thanks!_

_cuzimcrazylikethat_


	2. BED SHARING

**Author's Note: For my disclaimer, see previous chapter.**

-Recap-

_Click… Click… Slam!_

"_Wha!" Vaan jerked awake, to find Penelo standing over him. The laundry basket was in the corner of his room, full of dry, clean clothes. She was giving him a weird look, tilting her head at him. _

_Penelo raised an eyebrow, "Uhh, sorry for scaring you. I didn't realize how loud the door is when it closes." She said. She smiled. "But anyway, are you ready to go to Giza Plains?"_

_This made Vaan sit up quickly. "Of course!" He said eagerly. The two of them quickly left their small house in Lowtown, Rabanastre. They eagerly walked through south plaza, to the gate that would provide the entrance to the plains.

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_

Penelo happily skipped out ahead of Vaan. She took a deep, refreshing breath. "Ah! It feels so good to be out of Lowtown!" She started spinning around and stopped, facing Vaan. "It gets too stuffy down there, don't you think?"

Vaan nodded. "That's why I'm always out here." Vaan slowly and calmly walked up next to Penelo. There was an awkward silence, where Penelo shuffled her feet, suddenly completely focused on them, and Vaan stared up into the clouds, in a dreamy way. _What's going on? I've never felt this sort of tension in the air when we've been together before…_

"You know, it's not a good idea to stay idle in the Plains". Both Penelo and Vaan jumped, and turned to find a very amused Balthier and Fran. Fran turned to Balthier and whispered something into his ear.

"Ok, I'll be right there." He said as she turned and crossed the border into Rabanastre. He turned back towards Vaan and Penelo. With a smirk on his face, he continued to talk to the two.

"So what are you two love birds doing here anyway?" He said, holding in a laugh, a hard task to do, since the said "love birds" were blushing.

"Hey! We are not a couple!" Penelo yelled to Balthier. She had a slight tint of pink on her face, making it hard for Balthier to even take her _half _seriously. Vaan just stood there, blushing heavily. His mind was reeling with thoughts. He felt _really_ funny, almost hurt but really embarrassed at the same time. _She doesn't like me? _He almost felt his cheeks grow hotter after he realized what he had just thought. _I mean…why does Balthier always have to embarrass us like this! _

Balthier just stood there looking at Vaan. _Hmm… I expected blondie to say something too… Maybe he does like little Penelo… Hmm I think I'll keep my eye on these two. _"Well, it seems that Vaan is too mortified to say anything, and that my taunt was well taken, so I think that I will take my leave now." Laughing at brain-dead and embarrassed look on Vaan's face, Balthier turn on his heels and gracefully started back to Rabanastre. As he walked away he looked over his shoulder and calmly uttered a "Happy training."

Vaan just stared after him. Penelo looked at Vaan with a confused face. _What's his problem? He didn't even say anything when Balthier called us lovebirds… _Momentarily forgetting about what Balthier said, and taking advantage of Vaan in his weird, frozen state, Penelo noticed something about Vaan that she had never noticed. _How long has he looked so… so… s-so hot? Hmm... Maybe it's just because I've never really looked at him from an average girl's point of view. I've always just seen him as a brother, but now…_

Vaan finally spoke up. "So Uhh… Ready to go?" He said, looking straight into her staring eyes, almost as if nothing had happened. Penelo felt her face growing hot, realizing that she had just stood there gawking at her best friend. She quickly looked down at her feet, shuffling a little uncomfortably.

"Um, yeah." She said quietly. "Let's go." The two set out, with Vaan as the leader. Easily bringing down hyenas without a thought, the two took the time to sneak glances at each other. _It's kind of weird to think about it, but I've never noticed just how much Penelo's hips move when she walks… and the way her hair moves in the breeze and how cute she is with everything that she does… _Deep in thought, Vaan didn't even notice the hyena that was targeting him.

"Vaan! Look out!" called Penelo from behind him. Taken by surprise, Vaan was rammed by the hyena, knocking him down. After slashing the hyena in two and killing it, he heard a weak, almost pained grunt come from behind him. Penelo was on the ground. She was injured, and to make matters worse, about 11 rare, high level alpha hyenas were quickly surrounding her. Knowing that she was completely too low level to fight them, and that she was too injured to even get up, Vaan quickly ran to the pack, attacking one that was closest to Penelo. His fears were realized as he watched the hyena attack Penelo, almost knocking her out. He instantly starting attacking, not realizing just how much more powerful they were than the average hyena. He was almost knocked unconscious when the one he was fighting rammed him, the horn on its face almost impaling him. He mustered all the strength he could and swung his sword at the hyena that was attacking him, causing it to back off a little. He used that time to pick up Penelo bridal style and run. Deciding that it was too much work to run after their prey, the alpha hyenas did not chase Vaan and Penelo for more than about 15 feet. After things calmed down, Vaan stopped running. He looked down at Penelo, whose eyes were only half open.

"Vaan…. I…." Penelo spoke quietly and weakly. Vaan shook his head.

"Shh… Don't talk. We'll be home soon." He said, looking at her intently as she nodded weakly and almost instantly fell asleep in his arms. _Phew. I'm glad we made it out of there ok. Well, really I'm not sure if Penelo's really ok, but I'm sure she just needs some sleep. I'm pretty weak myself actually. I'm not sure I'll be able to carry her all the way… No! I have to push on. Especially since the two of us are so weak right now. Any other day, I know we'd go back and kick those hyena's asses, but definitely not today. _Although his whole body hurt and the blazing hot sun bore down onto his neck and back, Vaan pushed on until they finally reached the border into Rabanastre. Upon arrival, he met with the moogle that ran the gate's moogling teleportation system, and teleported in front of the sandsea, close to the stair well to Lowtown.

Finally reaching their house in Lowtown, Vaan unlocked the door with much trouble; after all, Penelo was still sleeping in his arms and had pretty much felt like dead weight. Tired and hungry, and really not able to go on any farther, Vaan decided to go ahead and put Penelo in his bed. _I'm really sure she won't mind. _Moving silently into his room, he was a little startled when he heard a voice. He looked down at Penelo, who was the one making the noise.

"Mmm…." She quietly moaned. She smiled a small smile in her sleep, causing Vaan to blush slightly. _So cute… she looks so damn innocent…So cute I could just… _Shaking away any thoughts, he gently set her on the bed and grabbed a clean blanket from the laundry basket in the corner of the room. He put it over Penelo, and sat on the edge of the bed. He quietly took of his shoes, and laid onto the bed next to Penelo, slowly so that he wouldn't move the bed and wake her. He turned out the light next to his bed and settled in, slowly pulling the blanket so that it would cover both of them. He shivered slightly._ Brrr! I'm still cold. Sigh, I wish we had another blanket. _Although he couldn't see her in the dark, he turned until he faced Penelo. _I wonder if she's cold at all. The last thing the two of us need are colds. _He flipped over onto his side. He felt so weird, having someone next to him, especially Penelo. _I almost wish I could… I don't know, hold her or something… No! I definitely can't do that. She'd freak out if she woke up with some arms around her. Haha. That would actually be kind of funny. But still, I can't do anything. _Even though he was super tired, Vaan couldn't get to sleep very quickly. He couldn't help but think about the cute, warm girl next to him. _I bet she's so much warmer than this weak blanket… _Throwing caution to the wind, Vaan rolled over to face Penelo and slyly scooted over until he was slightly touching Penelo. _So warm… Ahh. Maybe I can get a little closer…_ Vaan moved a little closer and froze when he heard her make a noise. _Oh shit! I think I woke her up!_

He felt her thin, soft hands roam around until they found their way around his waist. He blushed. _What the hell is she doing!? Is she awake?_

He listened hard after he heard her mutter something. Holding his breath, he finally heard what she was saying.

"Vaa…..n…… mmmm… haa….. hot……" The hands she had around his waist pulled, causing herself to slide towards him, until they were firmly pressed up to one another. Penelo let out another quiet moan, and nuzzled her face into the crook of Vaan's neck. Vaan felt on fire. _I'm so glad it's dark! I know I'm probably red as a tomato right now…_ Vaan decided not to hug her back, afraid that he would wake her up and ruin this perfect moment. He quickly fell asleep.

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Next Morning

Penelo slowly started coming out of her heavy sleep. She started feeling cold, and snuggled up against a conveniently close and warm object. _Ahh. So warm…_

"Mmm…. Warm…." She whispered, cuddling into the warmth. Her eyes shot open. _WARM!? _Her eyes widened as she looked up to see Vaan's sleeping face. His muscular body was slightly curved around her, as if protecting her from something. _What the hell am I doing in Vaan's bed? _Penelo couldn't remember anything. Her eyes widened and she blushed a dark pink. _Wait… don't tell me we…_ She lifted the blanket and let out a sigh of relief when she saw them both _completely _clothed. _Phew… I guess I could just lay here and wait until he wakes up… _Penelo took back her words and Vaan groaned quietly and hugged her so close that she couldn't see anything but his barely clothed chest. _Uh... I'm starting to feel uncomfortable…_ _I really have to put a stop to this_, she thought as Vaan sighed, trying to pull her closer. She put her hands up in defense, putting them on his chest, preventing her from getting any closer. She could feel her face getting hot, as she felt the tough muscles on her chest._ So hot… NO! _

"Vaan!! Get off of me!" She said, still pushing. Vaan woke with a jerk.

"Hmm?" He said, confused. His eyes focused. _Oh great! She woke up before I could move! She probably thinks I'm some sort of perv now… _

"I..." Vaan started, not knowing what to say. Penelo started yelling.

"Were you squeezing me like that on purpose!?" She yelled, red faced from embarrassment.

"No I..." Vaan swallowed hard as Penelo cut him off. _Is she mad? Maybe I should think of a joke to cool her down…_

"I'm not mad, but why the HELL am I in your bed!?" She yelled, not noticing how embarrassed he was. "Well!? Why!? I want an answer Vaan!"

"Well…."

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_Well I hope you guys liked my story. Please review. No reviews no next chapter. You wouldnt want that would you? You'd never know what Vaan comes up with!_

_Thanks_

_cuzimcrazylikethat_


	3. Bad Joke

**Author's Note: And so we continue falling into this story….**

-Recap-

"_Vaan!! Get off of me!" She said, still pushing. Vaan woke with a jerk. _

"_Hmm?" He said, confused. His eyes focused. Oh great! She woke up before I could move! She probably thinks I'm some sort of perv now… _

"_I..." Vaan started, not knowing what to say. Penelo started yelling. _

"_Were you squeezing me like that on purpose!?" She yelled, red faced from embarrassment. _

"_No I..." Vaan swallowed hard as Penelo cut him off. Is she mad? Maybe I should think of a joke to cool her down…_

"_I'm not mad, but why the HELL am I in your bed!?" She yelled, not noticing how embarrassed he was. "Well!? Why!? I want an answer Vaan!" _

"_Well…."

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_

Vaan was having trouble thinking of something to say. _I although she says she's not mad, I can tell she is… Hmm… _

"Well!?" She said in an exasperated voice. She lifted a waiting eyebrow. Looking at her face so close to his made him blush lightly.

"Well I…. you…." Vaan's worried face softened and a small smirk appeared across his face as he thought of something to say. Penelo's expression softened a little. _Huh? What's with the smile? _

A small glint flashed in Vaan's eyes as his idea for a joke came together in his head. "Well, after we got home from the plains, you confessed some crazed love for me and," Vaan started calmly, taking advantage of Penelo's impaired memory. "You screamed to me that you couldn't wait… and..." Vaan had to stiffle a laugh as he watched Penelo's face get bright red.

"Tha- That's not true!" She yelled, pushing away from him. "You're such a perv!" Vaan felt like he had been slapped in the face. Penelo was obviously _not _amused. Vaan knew he had to say something, but nothing would come out. He just laid there, his mouth moving up and down as if he was trying to speak. Penelo's rolled over and stood up from the bed, her face flushed with a mixture of anger and embarrassment. _He didn't even try to say sorry! _She quickly and loudly stormed out of his room and to her own.

Vaan rolled onto his back and starred at the ceiling. He blew a few strands of his feathery blonde hair out of his face in a bored way. _Well isn't that just_ _great? I blew it… I wonder how long it's going to take her to forgive me… Penelo's so… I don't know… _Suddenly Vaan felt a little mad, his face twisting up into an angry scowl. _Geez, it was just a joke! What, does she have a stick up her ass or something!? _His face softened as a new emotion surfaced. _Well, I guess that was a little perverted… I should probably go apologize… _Even though he knew he needed to get up and go to her room to apologize, Vaan just laid on his bed. _What am I going to say?_

Penelo

Penelo was also lying on her bed. She had rushed into her room angrily, closing her door behind her. She had also leaped towards her bed, making it squeak as she landed hard. Penelo grabbed a pillow and screamed into it. "Argh!!!!" She cried out, throwing down her pillow. _Vaan is so immature! I mean, usually I'm ok with his pervy humor, but for some reason today it just really made me mad. I guess it's because I wanted a real answer. I kind of wanted that moment to be a clingy, romantic one… oh what can I really expect!!?? _Penelo thought, mentally slapping herself. _Vaan probably only considers me family. But still, if that's true, why did I wake up in his arms? _A little more anger surfaced in Penelo's mind. _Why can't he consider me a girl instead of family!? What's wrong with me!? I'm pretty and nice… right? _Still a little heated from Vaan's joke, Penelo got up from her bed, remembering that she needed to change out of the clothes she had worn the day before and that night. She began to strip off her shirt, not realizing that her bedroom door was actually not closed, and that in her fury she had only pushed it closed, and that it was open just a bit, just enough for a person to see into….

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_Ok, I hope you guys liked this chapter! I know it was short... Sorry 'bout that. Oh and just so you all know, it's not what you think!!! There will be no "peeking" (hehe..) in the next chapter. Please tell me what I can do to make the story even better. Also, please honestly tell me what you think of this chapter. ( I already know that it's short) Thanks!_

_cuzimcrazylikethat_


	4. Apologizing

**Authors Note: Yeah, so sorry for the wait… There's REALLY no excuse for this… I'm super sorry to all the people who love this story. SORRY!!! And I hope you enjoy this chapter… I haven't written any fanfiction in months… so this chapter might be a little rusty. Haha. **

-Recap-

Penelo got up from her bed, remembering that she needed to change out of the clothes she had worn the day before and that night. She began to strip off her shirt, not realizing that her bedroom door was actually not closed, and that in her fury she had only pushed it closed, and that it was open just a bit, just enough for a person to see into….

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Vaan slowly got up from his bed. _Ok, I've finally thought of what to say, so I might as well do this fast and get it over with. Hopefully Penelo's in a forgiving mood…_ He quickly strolled out of his room, trying to stay calm as he approached Penelo's door. To his surprise, her door was open a crack. _Hm, I guess since the door's open, I can just go in. _(WRONG MOVE!!!) Vaan calmly pushed the door open, revealing Penelo, who was standing, half naked in front of her dresser. His mouth flung open.

Penelo let out a shriek and hurriedly covered her shirtless self quickly. _At least I still have my bra on..._

"Vaan! Who the hell do you think you are just bursting into my room like that!?" She screamed after she made sure she was as decent as possible. "And how dare you just stare at me like that!!!" Vaan's face flushed quickly and his head shot down to his feet.

"S-Sorry Penelo…." He started, "I came to apologize for my, umm, perverted ness from earlier… and when I came to the door and it was open like that.. I thought I could just…" Vaan's nose started to bleed slowly. _Oh shit! Maybe I shouldn't have stared at her like that… What is this? An anime!?_

Even with his nose bleeding, Vaan didn't move from the door. _Um, it's probably best if I stay here… She can hit me if I get closer. _He just held his hand up to his nose and kept his head down.

By now, Penelo had calmed down, and she looked at Vaan forgivingly… _Poor guy… He was stupid for thinking he could just walk in… But he was coming to say he was sorry for earlier… _Penelo quickly grabbed two tissues and rolled them to put in Vaan's nose.

His head was still down though. "Um, thanks Penelo. I'm really sorry… for the joke and for just coming in and now because I'm getting blood on your floor…"

"Hm, it's ok I guess. It's not like you meant anything by the joke, and well I should have checked the door… and about the blood? Well its not like these floors were really all that clean…" She laughed a little.

"Come over here and sit down." She moved to her bed and sat down, patting the spot next to her. Vaan also sat down. He stared into his lap. She put on the shirt that she had been using to cover her self up with.

"Um, you don't have to keep your head down like that, Vaan…" Penelo said quietly.

"But your not dresse—..." He started.

"Yeah, I am now." She said, cutting him off. He raised his head. Penelo grabbed two tissues just in case, and pulled the tissues out of his nose. Still bleeding.

"Hmm..." Penelo repeated what she did before with the two new tissues. She squeezed his nose, hoping the pressure would get it to stop bleeding. She waited a few minutes before taking the tissue out again. "Oh good, it stopped!" She let go of his nose, and fell back onto the bed, lying on her back. She let out a loud sigh.

Vaan just looked down on her. She smiled up at him.

"So what now? Haha. You gonna let me get dressed? Or just sit there?" She said playfully. She laughed a little.

Vaan gave her a look of confusion. _How can she go from angry to happy like that?... girls! _He shook his head a little. Her face twisted into a confused look too.

"Huh? What's wrong?" She asked, a little confused.

Vaan's expression changed quickly. "Oh, um it's nothing!" He said, trying to sound normal, even though he was just really confused on the inside. He stood up and started out of the room.

"Well, I guess I'll let you get dressed now." He said with a small laugh. Penelo followed him to the door and with a wave, closed the door after him, this time making sure to close the door.

Vaan quietly made his way into his own room, jumping onto his bed. He crossed his arms behind his head and laid back on them. _Wow, what a bogus move today… What was I thinking when I just walked into her room like that! Note to self: never just walk into a girl's room again! Penelo got so mad… I'm surprised she didn't hit me or something… _Vaan rolled onto his side. _And I also can't believe I just stared at her like that!! Another hugely wrong move… _Vaan's face started heating up. _But she looked so… sooo… I don't know… She just looked really cute, standing there with that surprised and scared look on her face, with that little tint of pink on her cheeks… and her thin, smooth legs spread on the ground in panic. _Vaan blushed even more, covering his head with his pillow. _What's happening to me!? Since when have I looked at Penelo this way? Before I would have been totally embarrassed and grossed out if I walked in on her getting dressed! _He rolled onto his back spreading out his legs and arms like starfish. He let out a loud groan.

"I'm going _crazy!_" He said out loud. He jumped as he heard a laugh outside of his room. Penelo poked her head in sheepishly.

"_Aww, _Did I scare you, Vaan?" She said, half mockingly, half serious. Vaan just looked at her with a faked annoyed face.

"Oh! So _now _you want to joke around!" He said in a pretend mad and annoyed voice. He rolled onto his side and curled up. Penelo let herself into Vaan's room quietly and moved to the opposite side of Vaan's bed.

"Aw, don't be like that Vaan!! There's a difference between being a perv and joking a little!" She said, slightly pleadingly. Vaan didn't move or make a sound. "Forgive me? Please?" She said, still trying to get him come out of his little shell. She didn't realize he wasn't really serious. After no response, she put one knee on the bed and leaned over him to see his facial expression. His face was almost blank. She leaned back onto her knee and turned and sat down on the bed.

"Hmmm… what can I do to make things better?" She said seriously. Vaan didn't say anything. He just shrugged. He smiled just a little. _If I keep this up I wonder what she'll do! Haha. _

"Hellooooo? Vaan? Anybody home?" She said, shaking him a little.

"Yes someone's home!" He groaned in a fake annoyed tone.

"Well? What can I do?" She asked again. He only shrugged again. Penelo's eyes narrowed as she spotted a smile creeping across his face. _Ohh I see… he's not really mad… just trying to see what I'll do… hehehe. Maybe I'll mess with him then. _Her expression became sly as she got up from the bed.

"Hmm I'll be right back, ok Vaan?" He nodded slowly. She gracefully walked out of the door.

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_Woo! It feels good to be posting my fanfic again! Haha. Um, once again, I REALLY wanna apologize for being a lazy ass author and not posting the fanfiction in good time. lol. I'm kinda running out of chapter plots... so PLEASE if you have ANY suggestions about the next chapter, the ending, etc, tell me. (No lemon requests please. I might try that for a different story.) _

_Thanks!_

_cuzimcrazylikethat_


	5. Surprise

**Author's note: Ok, well this story is FINALLY going some where. Haha. And it's all thanks to ChapinaYuli23. I wanna thank you for your "rambling". It _really _helped me to think of another direction to go with this story. There is a BIG change in this chapter, and will really switch up the story a little. Hope you all still like it!**

**PS: Good luck with your own story, Chapina!**

**PSS: Corene is pronounced KOR- REEN

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**

-Recap-

"Hmmm… what can I do to make things better?" She said seriously. Vaan didn't say anything. He just shrugged. He smiled just a little. _If I keep this up I wonder what she'll do! Haha. _

"Hellooooo? Vaan? Anybody home?" She said, shaking him a little.

"Yes someone's home!" He groaned in a fake annoyed tone.

"Well? What can I do?" She asked again. He only shrugged again. Penelo's eyes narrowed as she spotted a smile creeping across his face. _Ohh I see… he's not really mad… just trying to see what I'll do… hehehe. Maybe I'll mess with him then. _Her expression became sly as she got up from the bed.

"Hmm I'll be right back, ok Vaan?" He nodded slowly. She gracefully walked out of the door.

* * *

Just as Penelo found her sexiest lingerie that would be perfect for getting Vaan back for testing her, a knock came from the door. _Dammit!! _She threw down the black lacy corset and matching bottoms down with a groan, and stormed to her door and opened it, yelling for Vaan to get the door. After a minute of waiting for a response, she quickly stepped out of her room, down the hallway, and into the dimly lit living room to open the door.

"Who is it?" She yelled. She tried to get on her tippy toes to look through peephole. No luck.

"Balthier and Fran." The now familiar voice called back. Penelo unlocked the dead bolt and opened the door. Sure enough, Balthier's calm face and Fran's mysterious air greeted her.

"Oh Hi! What brings you two to Lowtown?" She questioned casually. "I thought you hated coming down here…" She laughed a little. She noticed a girl about her age and height with dark brown hair with layers of blue color that went past her shoulders standing beside Fran. When the girl noticed Penelo looking at her, she shyly moved behind Fran. _Hmm I wonder who she is. _Balthier motioned to the girl, and she moved forward slowly, until she was standing beside Balthier. He put his hand on her shoulder firmly, as if trying to hold her in one place so she couldn't get away.

"We're actually here to let you know that you and Vaan have a new roommate!" Balthier smiled wide, "She just moved here." He gently pushed her forward. "Introduce yourself, miss."

Even though she was completely surprised, Penelo controlled her facial expressions and put on a warm smile. Now that the girl was right in front of her, she could see what she was wearing. She had on an outfit much like Penelo's except it was blue and black, and was pants instead of shorts. _Cute outfit, I have to give her that. _Penelo flashed another smile, waiting for the girl to say something. The girl smiled back nervously and shuffled her feet a little, staring down at them.

"Well?" Balthier asked expectantly. He put one hand on his hip and looked at her. The girl blushed a little and looked up, her muddy green eyes meeting Penelo's brown ones.

"H-hi… My name is Corene…" She smiled a little. "But you can call me Rene if you want…" Her voice trailed off awkwardly. Assuming that was all she wanted to say, Penelo put her hand out with another warm smile.

"Well it's great to meet you Rene!" She said, shaking Corene's thin hand. She wore black nail polish and two blue rings on her ring and index fingers. "I'm sure you're gonna like it here." Corene grinned, making Penelo laugh a little. _She has a goofy smile. _

Balthier motioned to Fran, who promptly lifted two overstuffed suitcases. "Where to?" She said, glancing at Penelo. She was not strained at all, even with the two heavy suitcases.

Penelo grabbed Corene's hand and motioned to Fran. "Right this way!" She said cheerfully, leading them down the hall, past Vaan's closed room and to her own room. Fran quietly stepped in and stood the luggage up in the corner of the room. She stood silently, looking at Penelo with firm eyes. She looked to Corene, her expression softening.

"Corene… Why don't you go the restroom?" She said, almost telling her to go. "You did have a quite a long trip with no rest." Corene nodded and turned to Penelo.

"Um, where is it?" She asked, glancing down the hall.

"Oh, it's right down the hall to the right." Penelo pointed in the direction of it. After saying thanks, Corene silently left. Fran sighed, shaking her head.

"I have a request, Penelo." She said quietly. Her face was very serious.

"What is it, Fran?" Penelo asked, sitting on her bed. Fran stood next to her.

"You know what it feels to lose those who were very close to you, right?" Fran asked, even though she already knew the answer. Penelo nodded. "Yes, well, Corene has also lost her family. I'm very positive she feels lonely or empty inside…" Fran paused after she heard Balthier call to her. "So, my request is that you and Vaan make her feel at home and try to relieve some of her emptiness. Will you do that?" Penelo nodded.

"Of course!" She replied quickly.

"Thank you, Penelo. You definitely won't go unrewarded." With that, Fran gracefully walked out of the room and out the door with Balthier. A few minutes later, Corene returned from the bathroom.

"Hey, um where'd Fran go?" Corene asked boldly. _Good. I'm glad she's loosening up a little. _Penelo thought.

"Oh, she and Balthier had to go. They never stay in one place for very long." Penelo said.

"Oh I see." Corene replied quietly. Her bright green eyes darkened a little.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh nothing. It's just that I wasn't able to say thanks… They really helped me a lot after…" Corene trailed off, obviously thinking about her lost parents. Penelo's heart sunk. _I know exactly how you feel. _

"Aw, it's ok. Don't even worry about it." She started. "Balthier and Fran know you are thankful. Besides, they'll probably be back real soon, so if you remember to, you can thank them then." She said reassuringly.

"Thanks Penelo. I really appreciate this all." Corene said sincerely.

"Hey it's no problem! It'll be good to have another girl around here." She laughed a little. "So, do you want to go ahead and unpack?"

Corene nodded, moving to her luggage. She unzipped both, and began taking folded clothes out and putting them in stacks. _Well at least she's not a slob._ Penelo thought happily.

"Ok, you can put your clothes in here." Penelo pulled out 2 drawers that weren't very full of her own clothes, and started putting some of the stacks into them. "And you and I can either share my bed or you can sleep on some blankets."

"Ok. Well, your bed looks kinda small… and I sleep really wildly… so I'll just sleep on the floor." Corene said thoughtfully. Penelo nodded, laughing.

"Good, 'cause I sleep crazy too." The both of them laughed. Corene finished putting away her clothes and stood up.

"So what now?"

"Why don't we go out to the living room, so I can show you where everything is?" Penelo gasped, remembering Vaan.

"What is it?" Corene asked, sounding a little worried.

"Oh it's nothing; I just remembered something kind of important." Penelo led Corene out of their room, "No worries though."

After showing Corene around the small home, the two of them sat down in the living room, ready to talk about themselves and get to know one another. As they sat down, footsteps started down the hall. Before they could see who was talking, a voice called out.

"Penelo? You out here? I thought you said you'd be right back?" Vaan strolled into the room rubbing both of his eyes, unable to see their new roommate. "Well, what ever. I fell asleep anyway. So who was at the door?" He stretched, showing his muscled chest. Penelo noticed Corene shyly put her head down. She had a pink tint on her face. _He's kinda hot… _Penelo nudged her.

"Hey, relax." She whispered quietly. Vaan yawned and opened his eyes.

"Who are you talki-?" He cut him self off, surprised to see another girl in the room. "Oh hi… Sorry, I didn't see you there..." He said blankly. _Hmm, she's kinda cute. I wonder who she is… and why she's here. _He gave Penelo a questioning look, and while Corene's head was down, he mouthed 'Who is she'

Penelo stood up and gestured to Corene to do the same. She slowly stood, still avoiding eye contact with Vaan.

"Introduce yourself…" Penelo grinned. "Don't worry… He doesn't bite."

Corene couldn't even manage a smile, due to her tenseness. "Hi…" She said in almost a whisper, _still _not looking at Vaan. Noticing the blush on her shy roommate's face, Penelo decided that maybe she should do the talking. Putting her arm around Corene's shoulders, she began her introduction.

"Vaan, this is Corene. She's our new roommate." Penelo ignored Vaan's rude gaping and continued on. This time she turned to Corene. "Corene, this is my long time best friend Vaan. Yeah I know, he looks like a real body builder-tough guy… but he's actually a sensitive wuss." Penelo cracked up, getting only a small giggle from Corene.

"Hey!!! I'm no wuss! If anyone's the wuss _Penelo_, it's _you!_" He always had a comeback. Penelo waved her hand at him as if he was a fly.

"What ever Vaan!" She sat down, patting the spot next to her for Corene to sit down. Just as she was, Vaan slid in under her, so that he could sit between the two girls. Corene blushed as she landed in his lap. He laughed and firmly grabbed her waist and moved her so that she was sitting next to him. Then he put his arms around the two of them and pulled them close. Penelo put her head casually on Vaan's shoulder, and Corene was unintentionally pressed to Vaan's smooth, muscular chest. She was now a feverish red, and her heart felt like it was going to burst.

"Ha, now I have _two _nice girls to annoy!" He laughed hard at his own joke. Penelo's eyes narrowed.

"You know what Vaan?" She said plainly. "You're really lame…" She moved Vaan's arm from around her neck and stood up. "C'mon Rene, let's go." She glanced at her roommate and gasped.

"Are you ok?! You look kind of sick..." She said, her face tensing with worry. Vaan also turned his head to look at her.

"Yeah, you really do look sick, Corene…" He said in a matter of fact kind of voice "Maybe you should get some rest…"

"N-No I'm f-fine…" Corene stammered.

"No, I don't think you are…" Vaan said. He glanced at Penelo, his eyes full of questions.

"Yeah, Vaan's right. But since we haven't set up a bed on the floor yet, you can just sleep in Vaan's bed for now. Is that ok?" Penelo asked.

Corene refused again. "N-no really... I don't think that's n-necessary…."

Vaan shook his head. "Well too bad, 'cause I'm gonna put you to bed anyway." And with that, he effortlessly, and with out warning, swooped Corene up into his arms bridal style. He laughed as she let out a loud squeak and held on to his neck for dear life, and walked to his bed room. As he came in he glanced at the time. "7 'o' clock already? Wow. I must not have gotten enough sleep during my nap 'cause I'm already tired! What's up with that? Weird huh?" He looked down on Corene. She still had a feverish blush on her face. She just nodded her head.

_What's wrong with me? Why can't I talk? _She looked straight into his eyes, as he moved around to the other side of the bed, the side he doesn't sleep on. _His eyes… they make my heart beat fast. He's cute… like a puppy. I can't believe I **live** with him now. And I also can't believe that he's **carrying** me to **his** bed. It's like something out of a dream! _

Vaan gently laid her down, wiping her hair out of her face. "How's that? Did I do ok?"

Corene just nodded. Vaan smiled and started out of his room. "Vaan wait…"

He turned around. "Thanks for carrying me… now that I'm really in the bed I know just how tired I really was…" She trailed off awkwardly. _Oh nice job Corene, way to make yourself look like a total ditz! _

"Hey it's no problem at all. You're really light, and you don't put up a fuss…. Unlike Penelo!" He said the last part of his sentence loud enough for Penelo to hear. She shouted 'whatever Vaan!' making him grin. He turned back to Corene. "Well….. g'night!" And with a wave, he stepped out and down the hall.

"She's pretty shy, huh?" He said as soon as he got out of earshot. Penelo was in the kitchen, starting dinner. She had just thrown some spaghetti into a boiling pot of water as he stepped in. Vaan stretched, touching the archway that connected the living room to the kitchen with his fingertips.

"Yeah, but only around you." Penelo said smiling, stirring the still stiff pasta. She removed the wooden spoon from the pot and swiftly turned around and took some pasta sauce out of a cabinet. She set it on the counter, and glanced at Vaan before she continued stirring. He had a confused look on his face, and his mouth kept moving up and down. Penelo just laughed. "I think you make her nervous." She stopped stirring and went into another cabinet to get a colander.

"Really?" Vaan asked, completely oblivious to the fact that Corene was totally attracted to him. "Why?" Penelo groaned loudly.

"Idiot." She muttered. "It's obvious she likes you!"

She rolled her eyes, "Can't you see that?"

Vaan blushed a little. "Uh no… Was I supposed to?" He scratched his head and gave Penelo one of his "lost puppy" looks. Penelo shook her head, still stirring the pasta.

"Well no… 'Cause she wasn't acting shy and stuff on purpose…" Penelo said, draining the pasta in the colander. "That's just how she is sometimes. She's really nice though. It'll be good to have another girl around."

"What are you trying to say, Penelo?" Vaan narrowed his eyes playfully. Penelo put the pasta back into the pot with the sauce. She pretended like she was whistling.

"Oh, nothing." She grinned. "But seriously, sometimes I wish I had a friend I could talk about guys with… and go shopping with…" She stirred the pasta slowly. "Hey, do me a favor and go wake up Rene. This pasta's almost ready." Vaan nodded his head and headed to his room. Penelo called after him. "Don't forget what I said!" Vaan just nodded his head and continued walking out of the living room and to his room. He quietly tipped toed in and moved to his side of the bed. He looked down on her, smiling at how cute she looks when she's sleeping. Her round face was completely relaxed as if she didn't have a care in the world, and her full lips were formed into a pout. _Hmm, I wonder how I should wake her up… _Vaan reached over the bed, taping her gently.

"Corene? Wake up, it's dinner time." No reaction. "Corene? Hellooo?" Vaan let go of her after she began to stir. She rolled over, reaching out to him.

"Va….. aaannn"

Vaan just stared and blinked. _Is she asleep? Or awake... oh gosh, I'm having déjà vu. She's just like Penelo! _He let out a gasp of surprise as her small arms grabbed his shoulders and pulled him down into the bed.

* * *

_Hmmmm, what's going to happen now?... Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed! Please tell me what you think of the change, I really would appreciate some feedback. _

_Thanks!_

_cuzimcrazylikethat_


	6. Anger

**Author's note: Ok, after this chapter, I'm not very sure where to go with this story! I still want to keep it Penelo/Vaan… Uh, a little help, yeah? Seriously though, please send some suggestions! Message or review them to me. I'd REALLY appreciate it. Enjoy!**

* * *

-Recap- 

_"Corene? Wake up, it's dinner time." No reaction. "Corene? Hellooo?" Vaan let go of her after she began to stir. She rolled over, reaching out to him._

_"Va….. aaannn"_

_Vaan just stared and blinked. Is she asleep? Or awake... oh gosh, I'm having déjà vu. She's just like Penelo! He let out a gasp of surprise as her small arms grabbed his shoulders and pulled him down into the bed._

* * *

-Meanwhile- 

Penelo set the table and put pasta on each plate and set them out. She stared at the table for a few minutes, her pot-holder covered hands on her hips. _Where are they? What the hell is taking Vaan so long!? It's been like, five minutes! _She shook her head, taking off the pot holders and throwing them down on the table.

"Looks like I'm gonna have to get them myself!" She said out loud, making her way to Vaan's room. As she stepped into the dark room, and moved to Vaan's side of the bed to turn on the dim lamp. She gasped. _What the fuck! _Corene's arms were wrapped around Vaan's neck, and she was only inches away from kissing him.

"What the hell is going on here?" Penelo demanded her hands on her hips. _He's __**mine! **__Wait a second… did I just think that? _Resisting the heat that was now coming to her face, she asked again.

"Well?"

Vaan frantically wrestled himself from Corene's grasp and looked fearfully into Penelo's eyes. "It's really not what it looks like Penelo!" He said quickly.

"Oh yeah, _that's_original." Penelo said coldly, rolling her eyes. She glared at Corene who had her eyes closed. _Pretending to sleep? What a bitch! _

"And what about you Corene?" Penelo asked her voice thick with anger and a bit of jealousy. No answer from Corene. Resisting the urge to jump on her and claw her round, pretty eyes out, she turned to Vaan.

"Well? What's your excuse?" She raised her eyebrow at him.

"There is no excuse! She's not even awake-!" He pointed to Corene, "See?

"Hmm, well how do I know she's really asleep?" Penelo asked, tapping her foot angrily.

Vaan's face flushed a little. "Well…. I don't know… but I _do _know she wouldn't come at me like that!"

Now Penelo was almost yelling. "No you don't!!! You just met her _today!_"

Vaan's expression was like he had just been slapped in the face. "What's your problem Penelo!? Why do you care so damn much?! It's not like we're in love or going out!" Vaan quickly closed his mouth, realizing what he just said. "S-sorry Penelo, I-.."

"Save it Vaan! Apparently, none of this matters because you don't love me and I don't love you!" And with that Penelo stormed out of his room. Vaan winced as he heard her door slam hard.

"Dammit." He muttered, hitting himself in the head. "I'm in such deep shit right now." He glanced at Corene right when she sat up. She rubbed her eyes, and stretched.

"W-what happened?" She asked, blushing just because he was in the room. "Why do I feel like something's gone wrong?"

Vaan kicked a shoe that was in the middle of the floor. "Because something has." His voice was icy. _It's all her fault… getting Penelo mad at ME. _He stormed out of the room too, but stopped in the hall, indecisive. _Should I go try to patch things up? Or just leave and let Penelo cool off? _

Corene just stared. _What the hell happened? Why's Vaan standing out there like that? And not only that… but what ever happened to dinner… _"Vaan?" Corene called, swinging her legs out of the bed and standing up. She walked slowly and cautiously out to the hall. "What happened? Are you ok?" She gently placed her hand on his arm.

He pulled his arm away quickly. "Yeah." He didn't look at her, and his cold body language stung Corene. He abruptly sprinted off, heading out of the front door and slamming it behind him.

_What did I do? Is he mad at me? _Corene felt the need to go to the bathroom, and made her way down the dark hall silently. She passed Penelo's room, and entered the bathroom.

After washing her hands, she started back to Vaan's room, once again silently. As she passed Penelo's room for the second time, she paused. _Maybe Penelo can give me some answers… _She slowly wrapped her hand around the doorknob, listening closely. She let out a small gasp as she heard sniffing. Pressing her ear to the door, she could hear quiet sobs. _She's crying!? Now I __**have**__ to find out what happened. _She lifted her head off the door and shyly knocked.

"Penelo?" She knocked once more. "Can I come in?

"No! Go away!" Penelo's voice cracked a few times. "I _never _want to see you again!"

Corene stepped back from the door. _WTF DID I DO!?_

"Ok, well, I'm coming in anyway!" She bursted into the room, to find Penelo lying on her stomach on her bed, her head stuffed into a pillow. She lifted her head suddenly. Corene was overcome with sympathy, without even knowing what happened. Penelo's eyes were red and puffy, and her face was tear streaked.

"I SAID I NEVER WANNA SEE YOU AGAIN!" She screamed at Corene, picking up one of her extra pillows and hurling it at her. "GO AWAY!"

Dodging the pillow, Corene sat next to Penelo on the bed, who had thrown her head into her pillow again. Corene gently laid her hand on Penelo's shoulder.

"Penelo? Can't we talk about this?"

"No. Please. Get. OUT." Penelo's voice was muffled; she hadn't lifted her head from the pillow. Corene finally got up, and headed for the door.

"Ok." She said, still deciding if she should stay and push more, or just leave. After evaluating how mad Penelo seemed, she headed out. She walked down the hallway, passed Vaan's room, and into the main door. She went to the front door and stood for a second, thinking. _Maybe I should go find Vaan. Maybe he'll shed some light on this. _

_

* * *

See everyone!? I wasn't going to **TOTALLY **ruin the whole, Penelo/Vaan thing! Haha. Ok yeah, please send me some suggestions! I'd really, really appreciate it. Sorry for the wait, btw. School's been hectic even more. Lol. I'm sure you guys know the feeling. Ok, well I suppose that's it! Thanks!_


	7. Mystery Boy

* * *

-Recap-

"No. Please. Get. OUT." Penelo's voice was muffled; she hadn't lifted her head from the pillow. Corene finally got up, and headed for the door.

"Ok." She said, still deciding if she should stay and push more, or just leave. After evaluating how mad Penelo seemed, she headed out. She walked down the hallway, passed Vaan's room, and into the main door. She went to the front door and stood for a second, thinking.

* * *

Corene unsteadily climbed the Lowtown steps, squinting as the doors opened as she was brought back into the light of the sun. She stared up into the sky, looking at the clouds and loving the way the sun felt on her face. _Woah… I've been underground for a pretty long time, and I didn't even realize it. _Bringing her face down, and looking around, she blushed heavily as she noticed a young, handsome boy about her age looking at her with a raised eyebrow. He was dressed very unusually, compared to the other Rabanastre residents, and many people stared at him as they walked by. He had on all black, his outfit just a little bit like Vaan's, except he had a normal shirt. He had the same pants, and they were black, with gunmetal buckles and tassels. He had large boots on, also all black, and his hair was a little longer than Vaan's and dark. A bit of his hair rested on his face. Like Corene's, it had blue streaks in it, and only there. He smirked after noticing her embarrassed state, and leaned on his left leg, folding his arms on over his chest.

"I take it you haven't come out of there in a while, huh?" He said, still smirking. Corene looked up, trying to fight her blush. _This guy's smart ass vibe is making me feel stupid! _He smirked again, noticing a small look of annoyance in the small girl's face.

_Aww, how cute, she's trying to look tough. Aww. _He strolled towards her, a sinister, yet friendly smile on his face. Corene couldn't stay firm. She quickly got fixated with her fingernails, pretending to examine them. He continued moving towards her, and as he got close, he slowly bent so that he was closer to his face, flipping the hair in his face back. He tenderly brought his hand up to her face, lifting her chin with only a finger. Corene looked into his blue green eyes with a fearful look, her green eyes large and glassy, deep like a pond. Her eyes widened a little more, as she noticed all the different colors in his eyes. They were blue green like the ocean, but dark, as if they were actually brown. In fact, his eyes were almost black they were so dark, it was crazy. His lips pursed in a mocking way.

"You should learn to look people in the eye." He said quietly, his voice making her melt. His breath was cool, and smelled sweet. "If you don't, they might take advantage of you." He got closer, moving his head to her shoulder, and whispered in her ear.

"And we wouldn't want that, now would we?"

The closeness made Corene feel weak, but she slowly shook her head no. He nodded, moving a way from her. Now his eyes were the blue-green again, and bright. He still was bent, but he dropped his hand. "When we talk, I want you to look me in the eye. Got that?" Corene nodded, her eyes lost in his. "Speak. What's your name?" His bright eyes were dark now, almost black again.

Corene gulped. "C-Corene…."

The boy smiled. "Corene, eh?" Corene nodded.

"Y-yes."

"A Pretty name, for a pretty girl." He stood up now, looking ahead, towards the Lowtown doors. He pulled a torn sheet of paper out of his pants pocket and looked at it, then looked at the Lowtown doors. He quickly put it away, and put his hand on Corene's shoulder, leaning into her ear. "It was nice meeting you, Corene. I hope to see you again." He whispered quietly, and disappeared down through the door of Lowtown and down the stairs.

Corene breathed hard, her chest heaving up and down. Her heart was beating out of control, and the blush on her face had not faltered. She could barely breathe, and feeling dizzy and lightheaded, she tried her best to find a seat. Luckily she found one before she collapsed on the ground and leaned back to take a breather. _Who was that guy!? He was so hot… but so mysterious. He takes my breath away and makes me do things I never do… like talking to someone I don't know, but I don't even know what his name is_… Corene tried to sit up, but a wave of nausea came over her. _Maybe I should just get the hell home… I feel way too lightheaded to go look for Vaan… _Corene stood up, still shaking from her steamy encounter. As she made her way to the double doors, her legs buckled. She was able to catch her self, but as soon as she did, everything started spinning, and suddenly, the setting sun became deathly dark; pitch black.

* * *

_Did the mystery boy sound hot enough? Lol. Girls, please let me know. Please keep reading, there's more to come. Can you guys do me a favor... and help me think of a name for him? Thanks!_

_cuzimcrazylikethat_


	8. WTF!

**Author's Note: Wow... I feel REALLY bad for taking this long to update... . please dont be mad at me guys... lol... Well, i hope you enjoy this story! Remember: It's still a Penelo/Vaan Story.

* * *

**

-Recap-

_Corene breathed hard, her chest heaving up and down. Her heart was beating out of control, and the blush on her face had not faltered. She could barely breathe, and feeling dizzy and lightheaded, she tried her best to find a seat. Luckily she found one before she collapsed on the ground and leaned back to take a breather. Who was that guy!? He was so hot… but so mysterious. He takes my breath away and makes me do things I never do… like talking to someone I don't know, but I don't even know what his name is… Corene tried to sit up, but a wave of nausea came over her. Maybe I should just get the hell home… I feel way too lightheaded to go look for Vaan… Corene stood up, still shaking from her steamy encounter. As she made her way to the double doors, her legs buckled. She was able to catch her self, but as soon as she did, everything started spinning, and suddenly, the setting sun became deathly dark; pitch black._

* * *

"Corene?..." A voice called to her, and she felt strangely disconnected as she began to move. "Corene?! Wake up!" Someone was calling to her, shaking her, trying to bring her back. Her eyes fluttered open slowly; everything was a blur, and yet she could still tell that it was Vaan who was bending over her. After some blinking, her vision became clearer, and she could see the alarmed yet relieved facial expression of Vaan's.

"Vaan?..." Her voice sounded surprisingly weak, as if she was sick.

"What are you doing here!? I just found you, passed out near the steps to Lowtown! What the hell happened? Can you walk!?" Vaan's voice was frantic, and it seemed that all anger he had had diminished and been replaced with worry.

"I.. Uhh.. came to look for you… some guy… fresh air.. uh.." Corene babbled on like this for a minute, and stopped with a groan. All the questions were overwhelming, her head was swimming and throbbing in pain. She could really use some sleep and some food…

"Ummm… oooookay… Here…" Vaan wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up, bridal style. He made his way down the steps, and through the door quickly.

As they walked, Corene fell in and out of consciousness . She knew they were in Lowtown; she recognized the damp scent, the cool air and dim lighting. It was a relief… she had overheated as she laid on main street. The lack of sun down here made her feel so much better.

After a few minutes of silence, she spoke to him quietly. "Vaan… how long do you think I was up there…?"

Vaan's face scrunched in thought. "Hmm. It's not easy to tell for sure. But don't worry about it. You're safe now. Me and Pene—well, probably just me… will take care of you." His face looked pained as he mentioned Penelo. _He probably remembered earlier. I never did ask him what happened… _Corene thought. It was quiet for a moment, in which she tried to think of some way to start asking.

"Hey… Um, Vaan?" She started slowly. She knew she had to speed this up; they were almost home.

"Yeah?"

"Why… I mean what happened?" Corene noticed Vaan's tense a little then relax.

"What do you mean?" He said, trying to play dumb.

"You know what I mean Vaan." She said in a don't-play-dumb-with-me tone. "What happened earlier today that set everyone apart? What did I do?"

Vaan shook his head. "It really doesn't matter. I think by now Penelo's over it, and I _know _I'm over it…" His tone was firm. _He obviously doesn't wanna talk about it._

Corene sighed. "Ok then."

As they emerged their house, Vaan set Corene down, and opened the door. Corene, who was standing behind Vaan, noticed that he had froze. He was pointing into the living room.

"Who the hell—.." Vaan started, as Corene stepped up behind him.

"Vaan, what—.." She stopped abruptly at what she saw. Her mouth dropped open, and she stared with wide eyes. Sitting on the couch, was the boy from before!! He smirked at her openly, an almost grin sort of smile. He sat with his two arms propped onto the back of the couch, and his long legs planted on the floor. He stood up slowly and strolled to her as he had before.

"Wow, what a surprise!" He said, walking towards her with open arms. He laughed a little as Vaan tried to shield her.

"Who the hell are you!?" Vaan yelled. The boy merely stood from of him calmly, his smile faded.

"Excuse me, can I get by, please?" He said coolly. Vaan stared at him for a minute; the boy's eyes were smothering. "I'm not going to hurt her, jeez."

Vaan put his guard down and stepped to the side, unblocking Corene. The boy smiled again, approaching Corene with arms open wide. "Ahh, Corene. It's nice to see you again. I had a feeling we would meet again." He wrapped his arms around her shoulders in a friendly manner, knocking her off guard. He let go of her. She looked up into his eyes; the blue and green swirled excitedly. She was speechless for a moment.

"I—you—what?" She stumbled over her words, blushing heavily. He saved her from her babbling.

"Sorry for not introducing myself before, Corene." The boy noticed the wild look of confusion on Vaan's face, and grinned. "I'm…."

* * *

_Hehehehe... Cliffy.. .The only reason why I did that though, is because I need a name for Mr. Hottie... any ideas? lol. _

_let me know what you think!_

_cuzimcrazylikethat_


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